This and That
by Se-No NewS
Summary: /Yaoi, Kouyuu x Shuuei/ After being caught in a rather compromising position of sorts, everyone is convinced that, you know, they're in a 'this and that kind of relationship', which they really aren't...or are they?
1. Chapter I: Caught

**Title: **This and That

**Category: **Saiunkoku Monogatari

**Pairing: **Li Kouyuu x Ran Shuuei

**Genres: **Romance/General

**Rating: **T

**Summary:** /Yaoi, Kouyuu x Shuuei/ After being caught in a rather compromising position of sorts, everyone is convinced that, you know, they're in a 'this and that kind of relationship', which they really aren't...or are they?

**A/N: **I just fell in love with this pair when I watched the anime, so this is my tribute to them. Saiunkoku Monogatari does not belong to me, so please don't sue and enjoy!

-x--x-

**_Chapter I: Caught_**

-x--x-

There were days when Li Kouyuu found Ran Shuuei absolutely infuriating. This was one of those days. Just because the aforementioned man really had nothing to do, except pester the emperor all day (maybe this was harsh, but he was not exactly in the best of moods and he'd rather be caught dead, than say that thought aloud.) did not give him the permission to come here to the archives where Kouyuu was bent over a mountain of petitions and pester him.

And the way Shuuei pestered was the absolute worst. He would stand there, with his arms crossed with the familiar wan smirk of his. Honestly, to Kouyuu it was all infuriating, other times, it wouldn't have been, but with all the work he had to do, it was getting a little bit irritating.

Shuuei would never say anything to you when he was pestering, either, you always had to speak first. Kouyuu took the petition he had just finished, and laid it on top of the stack, it was a formidable amount, but he still had more to go. "What are you doing here?"

"His Majesty let me go early today. My reward for winning a game of chess." Shuuei said, wearing an expression of relief, Kouyuu noticed, because obviously, Shuuei had been ignored for a long time. If Kouyuu was not mistaken, he was there four petitions ago. "It's getting late, though, most everyone else has left." He approached the desk, "I thought you'd might like company to keep you from getting lost."

Kouyuu missed a stroke, usually he didn't get so angry about his lack of direction, or Shuuei's constant need to exploit such a weakness, he accepted all of that, but today, when Reishin-sama had carelessly plunked down a pile of work for him to do, and then Chamberlain Kou had come along with his own stack, Kouyuu didn't have the patience for it.

He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself, "You're so exasperating sometimes, Shuuei. Thank you for your...concern, but I'm really going to be here for a while." Instead of 'concern', a ruder word had come to mind, but then, Kouyuu bit that back.

Shuuei's hand settled on the back of Kouyuu's chair, and Kouyuu promptly missed another stroke. Kouyuu put down the brush, Shuuei was really too close for comfort. "Is Reishin-dono having mood swings again?" He asked knowingly. One could always tell Kou Reishin's mood by the amount of work that Kouyuu received daily.

Kouyuu shrugged one shoulder, "How should I know? Probably." Reishin-sama had been deeply moody as of late, perhaps it was because Shuurei had gone to the Sa province again. What he did know though, was that Shuuei was much too close, and if this continued, he would keep missing strokes. "Shuuei, you're a little...close."

Shuuei looked a little surprised, as if he hadn't noticed that he was too close. Kouyuu gritted his teeth, that bastard. Now, normally, he wouldn't call the man he considered to be a close confidante a bastard, but Shuuei was being exceptionally irritating today. The other man stepped back respectfully, but only a marginal two steps, nowhere near enough. "Have you eaten?"

Kouyuu said, "...Hakumei brought me something for lunch, dim sum. He should be bringing me something for dinner." It was strange, having Shuuei ask him if he had eaten yet, in his mind, Ran Shuuei was many things, 'mother hen' though, was not one of them.

"The boy idolizes you, doesn't he?" Shuuei said, with a slight smirk playing about his lips, Kouyuu didn't turn around, but by the way that Shuuei spoke, he knew the other man was smirking. "It's a little cruel of you, don't you think?"

Kouyuu missed another stroke. He wanted to break the brush in half. Either that, or yell at Shuuei to go away. He thought the former was easier. "It's not my fault." He snapped, "If he wants to serve me hand and foot, I'm not going to stop him. Besides, I do have work to do." And also, if Hakumei was content to do all the running for him, then Kouyuu could stay at his desk and not get lost.

Shuuei was laughing at him, and even if Kouyuu was not a man given in to to thoughts of violence, but now, the thought of Shuuei having his face bashed in was not all that unpleasant a thought. If Kouyuu could actually accomplish that, point being, at his current stage, bashing Ran Shuuei's face in was only a dream, a very far-fetched dream.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" It disturbed Kouyuu a little bit, how easily the words left Shuuei's mouth, but then, the other man was an esteemed shogun.

"I'm having fun thinking about it, yes." Kouyuu admitted. "It would be nice, if you would indulge me for once."

Shuuei laughed that infuriating laugh again, he was behind Kouyuu's chair again, Kouyuu knew because when Shuuei was –this close, he could never breathe properly. "If you're this uptight, you're just going to continue making stupid mistakes." His chin brushed by Kouyuu's as he leaned over, studying the document. "...You missed a stroke." He offered calmly.

"I know."

"I don't mean there, you missed one here too."

Kouyuu sighed and promptly buried his head in his arms on the desk, "You are exasperating." Kouyuu had never missed so many strokes on a single petition, worst came to worst, he would have to do it over. And it was all stupid Shuuei's fault.

"No I'm not. You're just too uptight, I know you haven't been sleeping." Shuuei's hands were on his shoulders, Kouyuu had to admit that the other man had very soothing hands. "Here, sit up, you're going to get ink on your face."

Kouyuu sat up reluctantly and touched a hand to his own cheek, he knew there was already a black smudge there. Now that Shuuei had said it, that he hadn't been sleeping, he felt tired, as if the shogun's words had cursed him, somehow. He sat up, letting the hands guide him and kept his eyes closed. "How do you know that I haven't been sleeping?"

Shuuei shrugged, "Reishin-dono's mood, and you have circles under your eyes, Hakumei does too. It's actually quite obvious."

Kouyuu found that he had no more strength to think that Shuuei was stupid. The shogun was right, after all, about most things.

The fingers danced along his shoulders, Kouyuu actually enjoyed it (very reluctantly) until he realized that somehow, Shuuei had loosened his robe just so, so that the layers were hanging off his shoulders (almost like a woman!--no, exactly like a woman) and his shoulders were bare.

A slow blush flared his cheeks, and Kouyuu reached for the layers to pull them back up, "_Shuuei_...what are you _doing_?!" But the insisting hands wouldn't let him, they felt very warm against his bare skin. "...I...I have work to do..."

"You can't work as long as you're missing so many strokes. Trust me, you'll thank me later." Shuuei said, as if such a course of action was only natural. Maybe it was natural to Shuuei, who was an frequent visitor to the red light district, but honestly, Kouyuu didn't see any of this as relaxing...didn't feel any of this was relaxing.

"I still think you should stop..." Kouyuu said, as the warm fingers pressed against his neck and he bit his lip, as a jolt of pain shot up his entire body. "...That _hurts_."

"It gets better." Shuuei's voice sounded rather blurry and distant, "You've never done this, so..." The fingers continued to press gently against the gathering tension, and all Kouyuu could feel at the moment was deep humiliation, and excruciating pain.

Of course Shuuei had done this before, Kouyuu was almost positive, after all, the fingers were confident, firm, warm...but it was still painful. "...Do you do this for His Highness?" He wanted to know, it would make him feel a lot better if he knew the Emperor himself had gone through torture at the hands of Ran Shuuei.

"When he needs it, yes." Shuuei replied. "Tip your head down."

Kouyuu did. "Does he like it?" He said, very aware of the fact that he sounded pathetic. He was beginning to entertain thoughts of killing Shuuei again, but the pain was dulling, becoming more bearable as the fingers pressed harder.

"Yes, he does." Shuuei said, as if this was natural again. "But for him it doesn't hurt anymore."

Kouyuu could feel himself blushing again, he tipped his head down more so that Shuuei wouldn't see. "I...I really think you should stop."

"I will. Just in a minute." The fingers moved down, and when they hit a certain spot, Kouyuu shuddered, biting his lip, this strange easing pleasure warmed his body, and the fact that Shuuei was causing all this, it sent even stranger chills down his spine.

"_Shuuei_."

"Mm?" The fingers slowed, "Does it still hurt?" Stupid Shuuei actually sounded concerned. Stupid, stupid Shuuei still...

Kouyuu shook his head, he knew his blush was getting worse, and he was careful not to lift his head, lest he betrayed himself even more, he bit his lip, so hard that he actually tasted blood. "No...but..."

The shogun was smirking again, Kouyuu felt it in the way that the fingers pressed in against his bare skin, the touch felt more smug than anything. "Should I stop now?" And he leaned forward, and took in Kouyuu's blushing face, the smirk grew wider. "You should stop biting your lip...it's bleeding."

Ran Shuuei probably seduced more women than he was worth, in this moment, Kouyuu was loathed to understand why. He also understood, why the Emperor liked it when Shuuei saw fit to bestow him with those types of favors, but Kouyuu wasn't going to fall victim do Ran Shuuei, he was not. Just because he was not partial to women did not mean that he was partial to men, after all.

It didn't mean a damn thing. And Shuuei was too close again, Kouyuu smelled tea on the shogun's breath and heard him breathe, easy calm breathes, mocking his own. He forced himself to nod.

The hands paused, but stayed where they were pressed against his shoulders, "Really?"

Kouyuu was sure he had never blushed so hard in his life. He'd never felt so pathetic, so vulnerable, all because of stupid Ran Shuuei, no, he didn't want Shuuei to stop, but ...before he could lose what integrity he had left, he clamped his own hand over Shuuei's wrist and turned around to face the other. "Yes, you should stop. Now." He said, as firmly as he could, glaring at Shuuei.

Still, Shuuei was smirking, his face much too close. "This is the first time I've actually seen you really blush, do you know?"

Infuriating, infuriating Shuuei. If Kouyuu only despised him before, he hated him now, for pulling such a reaction so easily out of him. He raised a hand, as if to strike the shogun's cheek, and he would have done it too, when he heard steps and--

"Kouyuu-sama?"

Hakumei...the boy's face was beet red too, redder than Kouyuu's own. But then, maybe not, Kouyuu's own face felt like it was about to burn up. And Ran Shuuei just calmly wore that infuriating smirk, and took his hands away.

Kouyuu quickly straightened his robes again, so that his shoulders were covered, his entire body was warm, most unpleasantly warm from humiliation. "...Hakumei, it's not really...it's not really what you think it is." He stuttered out, knowing he didn't sound convincing at all.

Hakumei was carrying a tray of what looked like dim sum from the kitchens and tea, which had spilled, probably when he was unable to recover from the shock of what he had seen. "...Yes, Kouyuu-sama, I'm...uh, I'm sorry I spilled the tea...I'll clean up...I'll—I'll be right back with dinner for Ran-shogun too. Please excuse me."

With that, Hakumei was gone.

And when Kouyuu turned around to give stupid infuriating Shuuei a piece of his mind, he was gone too. Kouyuu was alone again, with the stack of petitions, and also, with a very, very bad feeling of things to come.

-x--x-

TBC


	2. Chapter II: Rumors

**Title: **This and That

**Category: **Saiunkoku Monogatari

**Pairing: **Li Kouyuu x Ran Shuuei

**Genres: **Romance/General

**Rating: **T

**Summary:** Yaoi, Kouyuu x Shuuei After being caught in a rather compromising position of sorts, everyone is convinced that, you know, they're in a 'this and that kind of relationship', which they really aren't...or are they?

**A/N: **I just fell in love with this pair when I watched the anime, so this is my tribute to them. Saiunkoku Monogatari does not belong to me, so please don't sue and enjoy!

-x--x

_**Chapter II: Rumors **_

_-x--x_

Hakumei returned a few moments later with two plates of dim sum, and two cups of tea on a clean tray, Kouyuu, who had somehow managed to pick himself up and was working again, heard the boy lingering outside, "Hakumei, if you're out there, you can come in, Shuuei's gone."

The boy hurried in with a little affirmative whimper, still not meeting Kouyuu's gaze, Kouyuu wondered if it was the first time the boy had laid eyes on something like that, it wasn't explicit, by any means, but...Kouyuu shook himself, it was the first time that Shuuei succeeded in roping him into doing something like this too...! It wasn't as if Hakumei was the only victim, having walked into the right place at the wrong time.

"Where's Ran-shogun?" A cup of tea was settled beside the inkstand. "Should I, err...go fetch him?"

Kouyuu was sure that his face was red again, "If you do that, I'll run you out of the department." His hand was shaking again, and he missed a stroke.

Hakumei blinked, Kouyuu-sama had never so bluntly threatened him like that, and with such a flush on his face too. He had never seen the civil affairs officer quite like this. Sometimes he was quite hotheaded, and a little bit confused and more often than not ran into walls and things, but never had Hakumei seen his superior like this. He wordlessly poured another cup of tea, this time for himself. "Well..all right, then, I won't, but...Kouyuu-sama?"

"What?"

"You...um, missed a stroke on His Highness's name." Hakumei ventured cautiously, "See? Right there."

"What? Where?" Kouyuu's eyes scanned the paper, granted, they probably weren't very good eyes at the moment, given the trauma he had just went through, but...

"...Right here." Hakumi said, pointing, "Where it says 'The Emperor Shi Ryuuki."

Kouyuu stared harder, yes, he had missed a stroke, on an unforgivable character too, he clenched his teeth, really, what did Ran Shuuei do? It was nothing short of sorcery! Li Kouyuu swore it. He got up and paced the entire archive before coming back to his desk, and stared at Hakumei so intensely that the boy drew back in caution.

"Kouyuu-sama, did I...um, do something wrong?"

Kouyuu came to after a blink or two, and honestly, the way the boy looked at him, he could totally imagine what the boy was thinking, this was not good at all. Not good. Not good. If this went on he'd have a panic attack. He shook his head vigorously, "No. No I'm just...frustrated. It's all stupid Shuuei's fault! I've never messed up on His Majesty's name, I--"

Hakumei was staring at him again, with such an expression that Kouyuu stopped, it was such an odd expression. Kouyuu said, "What?"

"So you and...you and Ran-shogun really are...?" Hakumei stared at him, half in disbelief, the other half was an expression that honestly, Kouyuu didn't know how to read, could have been anger, could have been happiness, could have been sadness too, honestly, reading expressions wasn't his strong point at all. Shuuei was much better in that department.

Damn it! Everything came back to Ran Shuuei. What was so good about him anyway? Kouyuu opened his mouth, and then he closed it again. What had Hakumei just said? If he hadn't heard wrong, it was:

"_So you and...you and Ran-shogun really are...?"_

Kouyuu shook his head vigorously again, so vigorously that he thought it would actually fly off his neck, "No! No! I mean...of course not, we're not...like that. And we never will be! What put that idea in your mind in the first place? Shuuei has pillaged every brothel possible in the Red Light District, what makes you think that...!"

"Well..." Hakumei dragged out the syllable, "It's just..." He did see them after all, and it looked consensual, even though he was still young too, Hakumei knew what it was. Did Kouyuu-sama, who was older than him too, not know?

"What?"

Hakumei shook his head, who would have thought. Li Kouyuu-sama and Ran-shogun. If Kouyuu-sama didn't want to admit it, it was fine. Heki Hakumei was rather proud of his eyes, and they did not lie. A Heki's eyes did not ever lie. "Nothing, forget I said anything."

Kouyuu gave him a strange look, "All right then." He plucked a new petition from the pile, and picked up his brush again. "Why don't you go home? You can take the Shuuei's share of dumplings back with you. I'll finish up."

"Oh." Hakumei paused, "...if Kouyuu-sama says so, then I guess I'll do that."

"Yes, do that." Kouyuu sighed, "Do that and get some sleep. You have circles under your eyes."

_-x--x_

Morning. It was always the day after that was the worst.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Kouyuu knew it, he knew it as soon as he stepped on the palace grounds. He had actually been in quite a good mood, no matter that his workload today was going to in lieu of what he didn't finish, but Reishin-sama had been in an unexpectedly good mood when he had come to collect Kouyuu from the archives and hadn't scolded him. In fact, he even commended him on a job well done on so little sleep.

Kou Reishin was really not a man of many compliments, and besides, Kouyuu felt lucky that he had not being scolded. He had never, in his life received such a direct compliment from his adoptive father.

And then Reishin-sama had permitted him to sleep as much as he wanted to, which was why the sun already out when he reached the palace gates, whereas usually it was still dawn when he got there. If there was one thing that Kou Reishin had taught him right, it was to be punctual, and since, Kouyuu was so utterly lacking when it came to direction, it only made sense that he had to come earlier than everyone else so that he would have time to get lost and still be on time.

Really, how pathetic was he?

But anyway, something was wrong, it felt strange, if anything, to be standing in the middle of the courtyard when the sun was up, wondering where the archives were again, yesterday...had it been that way? Or that way? Or...

"Oh, there you are, Kouyuu. Did Reishin-dono let you sleep in, or have you been lost this whole time?"

Ran Shuuei. Who else could it be? Looking so smugly at him, and Kouyuu, although he was refreshed and in a better mood because he hadn't been scolded and instead, had been commended. But the way that Shuuei spoke, made Kouyuu wonder, if Kou Reishin's kindness had somehow been the young shogun's dong.

If so, damn him.

"I was so _not_ lost the whole time!" Kouyuu said, face flaring up again, "Honestly, you're insufferable. And what did I say about being too close? You have no sense of personal space, do you, Ran Shuuei?" He growled up at the other man, who was smirking just inches away, an inch or two they would have...

Kouyuu slowly backed away. Shuuei just looked at him curiously, along with everyone else in the courtyard. Everyone had effectively stopped what they were doing and they were staring at him. Something was wrong.

"I'm glad he let you sleep. You're energetic again." Shuuei said, probably very conveniently ignoring Kouyuu's plug for personal space and took him by the arm, "And the circles aren't as noticeable. Come on now, the Emperor's waiting."

The Emperor probably was waiting, but the fact that the Emperor was waiting did not explain why everyone was still staring at him...and Shuuei now, they were staring at both of them because for the time being they were most unfortunately attached together. Now usually Kouyuu didn't mind being scrutinized so, but still...it was strange. That's all.

And stranger still, that Shuuei still had that infuriating smile on his face like he didn't mind, or didn't notice at all. Kouyuu had a feeling it was the former. Had to be, although he liked to convince himself that Ran Shuuei was stupid, he knew it was not the case.

But it got to the point that he was disturbed enough by the stares that he disengaged his arm from Shuuei's and stepped three steps to the side, so that they were not touching and there actual space between them. Something was really wrong. "I don't need to be led around like a child, Shuuei."

Shuuei looked amused for a minute, "Sure you aren't."

"Why do you always mock me?" Kouyuu asked.

Shuuei traded his look of amusement for a surprised one, "I don't mock, far from it, I just tease, and besides, your reactions are always priceless to me." He grinned, but then that betrayed itself too, and became a smirk.

Ran Shuuei would forever be a mystery. The young shogun was really too much for him.

_-x--x_

Ryuuki looked surprised to see them, and then he didn't. But the Emperor's smile was different than usual. Although Kouyuu couldn't for the life of him pick out why it was so different. Too happy perhaps? Too silly perhaps? But then the Emperor was always silly.

Ah, Kouyuu, Shuuei. Good morning."

"Morning, Your Highness." They chorused, probably without meaning to chorus, and Kouyuu was flustered again, and was loathed to see that Shuuei was not at all affected in anyway.

They took their seats, and three aides from the kitchen promptly entered and carried three identical silver platters that held breakfast. Shuuei, Kouyuu was very glad to see, was unnerved for the first time, staring at the gigantic platters heaped with food. "Your Majesty, this is...?"

"Breakfast, of course, what does it look like? Of course it's a late breakfast, but I was so sure you would have wanted to wait for Kouyuu before we ate, Shuuei." Ryuuki still had that unsettling smile on his face, it was more unsettling to Kouyuu than Shuuei's smirk, and that was actually saying quite a lot.

But Shuuei wanting to wait for him...

"What are you talking about?" Kouyuu demanded, wondering if he should feel panicky again, probably, Ryuuki was grinning and...Kouyuu didn't know what Shuuei looked like, he didn't want to know, he'd probably be scarred for life.

"Kouyuu, you aren't embarrassed, are you?"Ryuuki peered at him, "Your face is turning red again, and you have that look..."

Shuuei was hiding a laugh behind his hand, oh, yes, there was certainly cause to panic, now, if only Kouyuu knew what he was panicking about...was he blushing again? He rubbed his cheeks, they definitely felt warm. Not good. "What's there to be embarrassed about?" He said, "And what look do I have?"

"So you're not embarrassed, Kouyuu?" Ryuuki looked and sounded very much surprised, "I would have thought you of all people would be." But then he looked happy again, "Well, then there's no harm for me to say it." He unwrapped his chopsticks from a silken napkin, "It's no fun breakfasting by myself all the time, so I thought I'd have you two join me. Besides, I have yet to offer my heartfelt congratulations, Kouyuu, Shuuei."

"Of course I'm not embarrassed!" Kouyuu said, rather irritably, spreading the silken napkin in his lap, "What's there to be embarrassed about anyway? I haven't done anything!" He was about to bite into a piece of salted fish when he realized that the Emperor had said something else, something about congratulating him and Shuuei?

He risked a glance over at Shuuei and learned nothing, Shuuei was enjoying his breakfast, or so it seemed. But the other man hadn't been surprised either, so Shuuei must have known about it, Damn him for trying to keep the good news from Kouyuu, actually, it was just like the young shogun, he was really insufferable.

"Congratulate us about what?"

Ryuuki beamed. "Well, on taking the next step in your relationship, of course! I personally thought you two were long overdue for it, the whole court's talking about it."

Kouyuu promptly choked, "_What_?"

Ryuuki looked apologetic and hung his head, "You are embarrassed..." He picked at his own food, "Sorry. I still think it's appropriate for me to congratulate you as the Emperor, though."

Kouyuu was bewildered. Very much bewildered. "No, I'm not embarrassed, just...what are you talking about? Taking our relationship to the next level...? With _Shuuei_? That's impossible." His face felt warm again, damn it. "The entire court's talking about it?" Kouyuu felt a little faint.

"Why is it not possible? You're always dancing around the issue." Ryuuki said, suddenly sounding wise, as if he was an expert on these matters. "It's really perfectly all right to have a 'this and that' kind of relationship. As long as you're happy, Kouyuu."

"It's just..._not_." Kouyuu said, "We're not in a relationship of any kind! Whoever put that idea into your head? What do you mean the whole court's talking about it?" He turned imploringly to Shuuei, who was sampling his bowl of soup. "Oi, you! Don't just sit there! Say something!"

Shuuei looked up, genuinely surprised to be addressed at long last. He put down his bowl and put on his infuriating smirk. "What do you want me to say? You seem to be quite all right on your own."

Kouyuu seethed, "You. Are. Absolutely. Aggravating." He gritted out before clenched teeth, "Just tell the Emperor we're not in a relationship."

Ryuuki looked at Shuuei expectantly. "Well...? For your lover's sake, Shuuei, I think he's embarrassed after all. You've better say it."

Ran Shuuei said, in the most unconvincing way possible, "We're not in a relationship, Your Majesty." But the smirk afterwards ruined _everything_.

Kouyuu stood, "You know what? I lost my appetite. I'm just going to go."

_-x--x_

Fate was kind to Li Kouyuu, and he found the archives after only four wrong turns. What was unsettling though, the Chamberlain Kou sitting at his desk and looking up briefly when Kouyuu arrived and didn't say a single word. The other four or five Shinshi who usually didn't pay him any mind, stopped their scurrying and stared at him curiously.

Kouyuu had a very bad feeling about this. He went to his desk, where a mountain of petitions from yesterday was arranged for him in a neat pile. Probably Hakumei's doing. He gave the Shinshi a smile and turned to the first petition.

Ryuuki, with that strange smile: _"Well, on taking the next step in your relationship, of course! I personally thought you two were long overdue for it, the whole court's talking about it."_

Kouyuu shook his head, why was he thinking about this?

"_It's really perfectly all right to have a 'this and that' kind of relationship. As long as you're happy, Kouyuu."_

They certainly were not in a 'this and that' kind of relationship. There was no relationship! None whatsoever. Honestly, even the Emperor was insufferable sometimes. Kouyuu dipped his brush into the inkwell.

And then stupid stupid Shuuei, with his stupid smile, smirk, whatever it was. _"We're not in a relationship, Your Majesty."_

Kouyuu missed a stroke, the more he thought about this, the less sense it made, the more his head hurt, and the more infuriated he became. Shuuei's initial promise was that this would help Kouyuu relax, well this wasn't relaxing, at all. He put down his brush, perhaps he would go for a walk, to see it would clear his head. After all, everyone seemed to be indulging him.

"Ano...Kouyuu-sama?"

He snapped out of it to see the group of Shinshi crowding his desk. Kouyuu gave them a very strange look, "Yes?"

"Um...it's probably a little late, but we've just heard, and we thought we'd congratulate you, you know, about Ran-shogun." One of the Shinshi said, and the others murmured something along the same lines and then they went back to work, as if what they had just did was something normal before Kouyuu had even a chance to respond.

It sounded like he had somehow married Ran Shuuei without his knowing and--married Ran Shuuei? There was something wrong, Kouyuu must be ill, he had just thought about marrying Ran Shuuei! Kouyuu banged his head on the table.

"Ugh.."

"Kouyuu-sama?"

Kouyuu's head snapped up, his good mood from a good night's sleep had just been destroyed. He glared venomously to the blurred person standing in front of him, "_What_? I do have work to do and I don't want to hear anything more about stupid Ran Shuuei!"

"..Kouyuu-sama?"

It was a girl's voice. There was only one girl, Kou Shuurei.

"Shuurei! I mean...well, I didn't mean it like that..." Great, now she was looking at him like he was an idiot. He probably was. Kouyuu cleared his throat. "Did you need something?"

Shuurei looked concerned, but then she smiled, "I just came back from the Sa province late last night...and I thought I'd drop by. I saw Ryuuki earlier, and Ran-shogun too."

"That's nice, You always manage to get the Emperor in a good mood, don't you?" Kouyuu picked up the brush.

"Well, it seems like Kouyuu-sama is in a good mood too." Shuurei smiled, "Congratulations about you and Ran-shogun."

"What about me and Shuuei?" Kouyuu felt something in his forehead pop.

"Mou, Kouyuu-sama, everyone knows already...and it's really nothing to be ashamed of. Ryuuki told me the two of you are lovers now. But I heard things when I was coming to the archives too. Ran-shogun is a good man, you'll take good care of him, won't you, Kouyuu-sama?"

Shuurei too? Kouyuu inwardly groaned, this was going too far, just because he and Shuuei had been engaging in something not so inconspicuous, it didn't mean...whatever everyone had the gall to think it to be. Absolutely not. Kouyuu stood, and brushed past Shuurei without another word.

He had more than a few bones to pick with Ran Shuuei.

_-x--x_

TBC


	3. Chapter III: Dispel

**Title: **This and That

**Category: **Saiunkoku Monogatari

**Pairing: **Li Kouyuu x Ran Shuuei

**Genres: **Romance/General

**Rating: **T

**Summary:** Yaoi, Kouyuu x Shuuei After being caught in a rather compromising position of sorts, everyone is convinced that, you know, they're in a 'this and that kind of relationship', which they really aren't...or are they?

**A/N: **I just fell in love with this pair when I watched the anime, so this is my tribute to them. Saiunkoku Monogatari does not belong to me, so please don't sue and enjoy! And I finished, I'm happy with this ending too...yay me.

-x--x

_**Chapter III: Dispel **_

_-x--x_

Kouyuu stormed outside the archives, positively fuming. He was going to give that insufferable, infuriating, aggravating idiot of a shogun a piece or two of his mind, see if he didn't. Maybe it was Hakumei's fault for not keeping his mouth shut, but Kouyuu had been unable to find him, and thus was unable to yell at him. But the least Ran Shuuei could do was say something without that smirk like he was serious.

He would tell the shogun all that—provided Kouyuu could find him first. He was loathed to venture too far from the archives, since it was all too possible that he would be lost again, he slumped against a column and crossed his arms, considering his current predicament.

He didn't have to consider long.

"So where are you going?"

Kouyuu's forehead pricked, he raised his head to face Ran Shuuei's face a few precarious inches away.

Kouyuu's forehead prickled some more, honestly, Shuuei was pretty damn slow at grasping the concept of personal space. But now he was angry, angry enough to snatch Shuuei by the collar regardless of the consequences that might have befallen him, Shuuei could have flipped him on his back easy.

But Shuuei did nothing.

"_You_! I've never despised you so much. It's all Hakumei's fault for starting the rumors in the first place—I was going to yell at him later, but then you're not helping either! The least you could do is help me dispel those ridiculous rumors! And you just sit there and smirk and that doesn't _help_ anything!"

Shuuei only smiled, "Rumors are hard to dispel, you know. However ridiculous they may be. Sometimes, the more outrageous ones are the ones that people believe the most. Could you let go? You're choking me."

Kouyuu let go, reluctantly. "Sorry." He returned his hands to his side, "But still, the least you could do is tell everyone we're not in that kind of relationship! We're not in a relationship at all! Even Shuurei came and congratulated me about...you."

"I know. I saw her too. She made us manjuu as a congratulatory present." Shuuei held up a package Kouyuu hadn't noticed before. "There's one for me and one for you, want some?"

"How come she gave _you_ the congratulatory present?" Kouyuu looked at the package, feeling rather peeved.

"Well, she did see me first." Shuuei conceded, with a guilty edge in his smile now. "Besides, the rumors aren't so bad, are they, Kouyuu? If you can eat Shuurei's manjuu, think of it like a consolation prize."

"What consolation prize? It's not like I wanted to win anything." Kouyuu mumbled, "Unless it's a consolation prize for putting up with you so long."

Shuuei's lips twitched, "I guess you could think of it like that too."

Kouyuu looked over at the shogun, who was smirking again, and then it dawned on him, "That was underhanded! Of course the rumors are bad! It doesn't matter whether or not you bribe me with manjuu, Shuuei."

Now Shuuei looked thoughtful, "Do you hate me?"

Kouyuu crossed his arms and leaned back against the pillar, biting his bottom lip rather petulantly. "No, but I don't exactly like you right now." He glanced over at Shuuei, "Don't the rumors bother you? Doesn't it bother you that everyone including the Emperor himself thinks that we're in an abnormal relationship?"

"It's not abnormal, it's just different from what naive people like yourself are used to." Shuuei looked back at him, "I think if you weren't half as uptight, you would be happier."

"I'm not naive." Kouyuu snapped. "You can say I'm not used to it, but don't say I'm naive."

"Being naive is not necessarily a bad thing."

"Well, the way you're saying it, you make it sound like a bad thing." Kouyuu dropped his eyes to stare at the ground, he mentally counted the tiles. Shuuei's shoes moved closer, and behold, when he looked up again, Shuuei was two inches away again. Kouyuu shifted uncomfortably, but since the column was in the way, there was no place to go. "Someone should really teach you about personal space."

"You are naïve, you flush like a beet whenever I'm two inches away. Like now. If you weren't naive you wouldn't have. You also wouldn't be fidgeting like that." Shuuei's smirk was all the more infuriating up close. "And you lecture me about personal space everyday, I think I already have a good teacher."

"Well, excuse me if I'm uncomfortable with you two inches from my face." Kouyuu said, knowing very well he was beet red, he felt it, and the flush rushing to his cheeks was quickly becoming too familiar all at once, it was all because of stupid bastard Ran Shuuei. "My lectures are useless if you don't apply them."

"I do apply them. When you're not around."

"How convenient." Kouyuu rolled his eyes, "Will you please move?"

Shuuei did, but still, he was close enough that Kouyuu could hear him breathing. "Are you really that bothered by what everyone's been saying?"

"I--" There was something unfamiliar in Shuuei's eyes, Kouyuu liked to think that, even though he found Ran Shuuei more often than not extremely exasperating, he knew Shuuei, and this glint that was there and gone in the matter of seconds, maybe even less, was something Kouyuu had never seen before.

Kouyuu collected himself, "Well, of course, it's embarrassing, even the Emperor himself thinks that we're...in a 'this and that' kind of relationship. You could at least do your part and help me stop the rumors."

Shuuei appeared to be thinking about this for a long minute. "All right." That glint again, Kouyuu was unsettled, as the shogun paused, and then he said, "Kouyuu, do you know the easiest way to dispel a rumor?"

"Just tell them it's not true, obviously." Kouyuu said.

"That takes too long." Shuuei said critically, "What's the quickest way?"

Kouyuu was silent, and then he shrugged, "I don't know."

"You make it true."

Kouyuu's eyes widen, "_Wha_—"

Shuuei's face was two inches away from his again, and then an inch, and then...Kouyuu felt the other's body press in close to him, he could not speak because Shuuei's warm mouth was obstructing him from speaking. Shuuei tasted a lot like the salted fish from breakfast and tea. His lips were being nudged apart by a seeking tongue, Kouyuu gave a little whimper.

And then he came back to his senses, disengaged his arms around Shuuei's waist--how had his arms gotten there in the first place?--and pressed his hands against the shogun's chest, pushing him away.

"_Shuuei_!" His face was so red, it was burning.

Ran Shuuei looked disconcerted, if anything. Nothing else though. And he was still much too close for comfort.

"Ran Shuuei, I will not be seduced so easily like some Red Light District whore! You know that!" His lips were burning too, and now his mouth also tasted like salted fish and tea. "You...you..." Suddenly all of it made sense, Hakumei hadn't started the rumors, Shuuei did. "You're the one that started all this...just so you could..." He shook his head, Ran Shuuei was forever infuriating, but this took everything to a new level. He looked accusingly at Shuuei, "Didn't you?"

Shuuei was wearing his guilty smile.

"You're shameless." Kouyuu told him, "Why?"

"Because if I'd done it any other way, you would have run from me." Shuuei said, "If I did it like this...you'd actually think about it, and you'd come to me. You're always running, Kouyuu." And then the shogun shook his head, "I don't know if I can chase you for that much longer." He stepped in, and Kouyuu felt a heavy warm weight on his shoulder, "I get tired, and don't do yourself the disservice of comparing yourself to a Red Light District whore. You're more than that, you know."

Kouyuu was silent for a very long time. "...Still..." He found his arms around Shuuei again. "That was low and underhanded."

"...Sorry."

"...But what happened yesterday was relaxing, for the most part." Kouyuu said, "I slept better. So...I guess I can forgive you." He paused, drawing in another deep breath. "...But if you've done it the normal way too, I would have said yes anyway."

Shuuei raised his head, "Really?" He raised a hand to Kouyuu's cheek, "It's amusing to do it this way."

"You're insufferable." Kouyuu said, but he smiled as he said it. "Shut up."

Shuuei did, pressing him against the pillar, and kissed him again.

_-x--x_

They ate cold manjuu, but it was still very good manjuu, together at Kouyuu's desk. Shuuei always did like to move his chair too close, but now...he realized that if he didn't think about it so much, it wasn't all bad. Besides, Ran Shuuei had always been unbearably infuriating on so many levels, it was hard for Kouyuu to ask him to change.

Of course due to the lack of personal space, Kouyuu missed a stroke now and then, but then, he was new to these working conditions. In any case, the shogun was making up nicely for it by feeding him the manjuu, since Kouyuu's hands were smudged, and Shuuei seemed eager to take any excuse, (Kouyuu was reluctant at first, until Shuuei assured him that they were indeed being very inconspicuous.)

And probably they were being fairly inconspicuous, there had been no more congratulations, and as far as Kouyuu could tell, no one was staring at them.

It was until Shuuei fed him a piece of manjuu, and some of the sweet bean paste smeared on his fingers, that his hands lingered a little longer than they should on Kouyuu's lips. It was all in all a pleasant moment.

Until

"Kouyuu-sama?"

Kouyuu jumped, Shuuei withdrew his hand as if this was all normal, sat back and smirked contentedly. Kouyuu could have killed him, but he decided to save that for later and put down his brush and then raised his head to meet Hakumei's eyes. The boy was always stumbling in at the wrong moments, maybe he had a knack for that, like Kouyuu had a knack for getting lost.

He cleared his throat, "Did you need something?" He was determined not to look at Shuuei, Kouyuu had the feeling that the other was snickering behind a politely raised hand.

"Uh...well...I just got here," the boy spoke hesitantly, "Do you have any errands for me to run right now?" He was careful, he remembered yesterday, and yet...here they were now in broad daylight. Kouyuu-sama was so strange.

Kouyuu thought for a moment, "Well, these petitions goes to the Emperor, and this is a letter for Official Ro, if you could do that for me." He pushed a thin stack of papers forward, and then an envelope on top of that.

Hakumei took the papers and tucked the envelope securely away, he took a step, and then paused.

Kouyuu looked at him, "Do you need something else?" He inquired, picking up his pen again.

The boy opened his mouth, closed it, and then sighed, and then opened his mouth again, he might as well, after all, they were here in broad daylight and he had waded through a barrage of rumors to get the archives. "Well..." Hakumei began, "...It's about yesterday, actually. I realized that I never congratulated you properly yesterday." He glanced at the manjuu, "By the looks of it everyone else has already. So congratulations, Kouyuu-sama, Ran-shogun."

There was a pause, and Shuuei glanced at Kouyuu, who just smiled, "Thank you."

_-x--x_

-End

_-x--x_


End file.
